Skip to main content

Postgraduate Taught Elective Modules

 

Find out more about which kind of information you can find on this page:

Number of Elective Modules Available

Each MA programme within the Arts & Humanities Faculty is made up of core modules (those that are in most cases only open to students taking your programme) and elective modules (those that are open and available to all Arts and Humanities students, regardless of the programme being studied, subject to any prerequisites).

The precise number of elective modules available to you is determined by the programme you are studying. You will need to choose enough electives so that the total value of modules taken is exactly 180 credits. Each elective module is worth 30 credits.

The table below shows how many elective modules are available for each MA programme.

MA Programme Number of elective modules available

MA Classics (Q8K307)

2 or 3 (depending on whether 1 or 2 core modules have been chosen)

MA Creative Writing (Q3KC07)

3

MA English Literary Studies (Q3K107)

3

MA Environmental Humanities (V8K907)

3

MA Global History (V1KD07)

3

MA History (V1KC07)

2 or 3 (depending on the credit value of the Research Project chosen)

MA Languages, Literatures and Cultures (R9T207)

2 or 3 (depending on the credit value of the Research Project chosen)

MA Medical Humanities (Q3KG07)

2

MA Medieval and Early Modern Studies (R9K807)

2

MA Music (W3K707)

0

MA Philosophy (V7K107)

3

MA Social and Economic History (V1KB07)

1

MA Theology and Religion (V8K407)

4

MA Translation Studies (R9K107)

0, 1 or 2 (depending on which core modules have been chosen and their credit value)

MA Visual Culture (R9T307)

2

Choosing your Elective Modules

For timetabling purposes, the elective modules available in any given year will be arranged into a series of “lists” outlined below.

You will need to choose the number of elective modules which matches the number of allowed elective modules for your programme, ensuring that no more than one module is selected from any single list with the exception of List C18, where multiple options may be selected.

Please read the stated pre-requisites (knowledge/experience required as a prior condition to studying the module) and co-requisites (knowledge/experience required together with the module) carefully, to ensure your suitability for your chosen module(s).

Example:

Student A is studying the MA in Philosophy. This programme has 3 elective modules available. Student A chooses three electives – one each from Lists 4, 7 and 11.

 

Other Electives

Some students may wish to take an additional 20-credit language module offered by the University’s Centre for Foreign Language Study (CFLS), meaning that you would finish your course with a total of 200 credits. Not all CFLS language modules will be open to you: some of them may not be compatible with your timetable.

Example:

Student B is studying the MA in English Literary Studies. This programme has 3 elective modules available. Student B chooses three electives from Lists C1-C18 below – one each from Lists 3, 6 and 17. Student B also wishes to improve their language skills, so decides to take an additional 20-credit CFLS module, topping their total credits up to 200.

Overview of credits and modules

Overview of Lists of Elective Modules

Please click on one of the lists below to see the available elective modules.

There is a description for each module available in the lists as well as a link to the Faculty Postgraduate Handbook. Please be aware that the Faculty Postgraduate Handbook refreshes every year in June to reflect changes to content for the following year.

List C1 List C5 List C9 List C13 List C17
List C2 List C6 List C10 List C14 List C18
List C3 List C7 List C11 List C15  
List C4 List C8 List C12 List C16  

Or see the PGT Elective Modules Department Overview:

Overview electives per department thumbnail

List C1                                                                         

Back to overview

Module code Module title Prerequisites Corequisites
CLAS43530 Aristotle's Systems None None
ENGL44230 Short Fiction Today None None
HIST42430
None None
MELA47730
None None
PHIL41130 Current Issues in Aesthetics and Theory of Art None None

 

List C2

Back to overview

Module code Module title Prerequisites Corequisites
CLAS45530
None None
ENGL44430 None None
HIST42530 None None
None MELA47230 Translation Theory, Research and Practice
PHIL40430 None None

List C3

Back to overview

Module code Module title Prerequisites Corequisites
CLAS41130 Religious Life in the Roman Near East Some knowledge of the history of the Roman Empire is preferred, such as a Durham student might have acquired in the modules 'Emperors & Dynasties', 'The Hellenistic World', 'Roman Religion' or 'Roman Syria'.  None
None None
HIST42630 None None
PHIL40730 None None
MELA46130
None None

* This module is also available in list C7, it has been deliberately listed twice for timetabling purposes; there is no variation in content. If you select the module from this list, all other modules appearing in list C7 will still be available to you.

List C4

Back to overview

Module code Module title Prerequisites Corequisites
CLAS44430 None None
HIST42730 None None

MELA45830

Specialised Translation Arabic <> English  None MELA47230 Translation Theory, Research and Practice
None None
PHIL40830 Current Issues in Ethics None None

List C5

Back to overview

Module code Module title Prerequisites Corequisites
CLAS40330 Less than one year of study of Latin as an undergraduate (or equivalent) None
HIST45130 None None
MELA45630 None None
PHIL41030
None None
ENGL53830 None None

* This module is also available in list C14, it has been deliberately listed twice for timetabling purposes; there is no variation in content. If you select the module from this list, all other modules appearing in list C14 will still be available to you.

List C6

Back to overview

Module code Module title Prerequisites Corequisites
CLAS40330 Latin for Research (Element 2: must be taken with Elements 1 and 3) Less than one year of study of Latin as an undergraduate (or equivalent)   None
ENGL46230 None None
HIST45730 None None
MELA41830 

Specialised Translation French <> English 

None MELA47230 Translation Theory, Research and Practice

List C7

Back to overview

Module code Module title Prerequisites Corequisites
CLAS40430 Less than one year of study of Greek as an undergraduate (or equivalent)  None
MELA46130 None None
PHIL41330 None None

* This module is also available in list C3, it has been deliberately listed twice for timetabling purposes; there is no variation in content. If you select the module from this list, all other modules appearing in list C3 will still be available to you.

List C8

Back to overview

Module code Module title Prerequisites Corequisites
CLAS40330 Less than one year of study of Latin as an undergraduate (or equivalent)   None
None None
HIST46330 None None

MELA42130

Specialised Translation Russian <> English  None MELA47230 Translation Theory, Research and Practice

 

List C9

Back to overview

Module code Module title Prerequisites Corequisites
CLAS40430 Less than one year of study of Greek as an undergraduate (or equivalent) None
ENGL45130
None None
MELA47830 None None

 

List C10

Back to overview

Module code Module title Prerequisites Corequisites
CLAS40430 Less than one year of study of Greek as an undergraduate (or equivalent)   None
HIST46730 None None
MELA41930 
None MELA47230 Translation Theory, Research and Practice
None None

 

List C11

Back to overview

Module code Module title Prerequisites Corequisites
CLAS42230 None None
MELA47530 None None
THEO43430 None None
ENGL53630 None None

* This module is also available in list C15, it has been deliberately listed twice for timetabling purposes; there is no variation in content. If you select the module from this list, all other modules appearing in list C15 will still be available to you.

List C12

Back to overview

Module code Module title Prerequisites Corequisite
CLAS45330 None None
ENGL44930 None None
MELA42030 
None MELA47230 Translation Theory, Research and Practice
PHIL41730 None None
THEO43230
None None

 

List C13

Back to overview

Module code Module title Prerequisites Corequisite
CLAS44330 None None
None None
HIST47330 None None
MELA43930  None MELA47230 Translation Theory, Research and Practice

 

List C14

Back to overview

Module code Module title Prerequisites Corequisites
CLAS44530 None Only available to students taking CLAS40330 or CLAS40430, or students with some existing knowledge of either Latin or Ancient Greek. 
None None
None None
PHIL42130 None None
THEO56730 None None

* This module is also available in list C5, it has been deliberately listed twice for timetabling purposes; there is no variation in content. If you select the module from this list, all other modules appearing in list C5 will still be available to you.

List C15

Back to overview

Module code Module title Prerequisites Corequisites
CLAS45230 At least one year of Greek at University level is preferable, but not essential.   None
None None
MELA46230 None None
None None

* This module is also available in list C11, it has been deliberately listed twice for timetabling purposes; there is no variation in content. If you select the module from this list, all other modules appearing in list C11 will still be available to you.

List C16

Back to overview

Module code Module title Prerequisites Corequisites
None None
ENGL46630
None None
MELA42230 
None MELA47230 Translation Theory, Research and Practice
PHIL41430 Current Issues in Mind and Action None None
None None

 

List C17 (MODULES WITH PLACEMENT/SUMMER-SCHOOL ELEMENTS)

Back to overview

Module code Module title Prerequisites Corequisites
MELA45230 None None